Methodist megachurch has deep pockets for Darfur

Congregation has given millions

Jun 15, 2010

It’s often hard to find signs of hope in Sudan’s Western Darfur province, which is considered one of the bleakest places on the planet. Civil war rages in what many call a campaign of genocide that has killed hundreds of thousands of Darfuri civilians and displaced millions of others.

But while the Sudanese government in Khartoum has expelled most international relief groups, there are surprising signs of continuing aid from a United Methodist congregation half a world away.

“We see the purpose of the local church of going out into the world, being the hands and feet of Jesus to the hurting, the oppressed, the poor, and being the empowering center in that local community,” said Mike Slaughter, lead pastor of Ginghamsburg Church, which is located in Tipp City, a predominantly blue-collar suburb of Dayton, Ohio.